Citizens' Memorial School’s mission is to provide a safe and orderly school in which teachers are prepared to instruct students to meet the highest standards in all curricula and students will achieve to their fullest potential. [1]
Introduction
Citizens’ Memorial School is located in urban Woonsocket, Rhode Island. It is one of 12 elementary schools in the city of Woonsocket. It serves students from a multi-ethnic population from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds (SALT report 2005, p. 4). The surrounding neighborhood is low-income, and this area is known to have one of the highest child neglect and abuse rates in the state (SALT report 2005, p. 4). The school was built in 1958 on existing wet lands, and it opened in 1958 for students in kindergarten through grade six. Throughout the years, Citizens’ has restructured its grade levels many times. [2]
Citizens’ Memorial Schools is under the supervision of Superintendent Giovanna Donoyan and Principal Raphael Diaz. The school serves children from 3rd grade through 5th grade. Currently, 330 students are attending the school. During the 2012-13 school year, 93% of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, and 21% percent receive special education services and 12 % are in ESL programs (InfoWorks- Student Characteristics, 2013). The mobility rate, 27%, is higher than the district, 26%, and state averages, 14% (InfoWorks Woonsocket & Citizens' Memorial School- Student Indicators, 2012). Citizens’ Memorial School is a Title I Schoolwide School. [4] According to 1999 SALT’s survey, the computer Lab was updated with 25 new Imacs, and internet capabilities were installed school wide. Reading and language arts were moved to block schedule. Therefore, literacy is major focus at Citizens’ Memorial School. Different administrators have served the school during the past ten years; teaching staff at Citizens’ Memorial School feel that the school has no direction or common vision. [5]
In order to properly determine whether or not Citizens’ Memorial School is fulfilling the commitment made on their mission statement and, is in accordance with No Child Left Behind act (NCLB) and Race to the Top (RTTT), this report will analyze statistical data over the past decade, of 5 different indicators such as the student achievement; teaching; family, community, and home life; safe and supportive schools; funding and resources; and changes made in the past decade. The purpose of this report is to provide a concise overview of the school to parents, educators, students, and anyone else who has an interest in understanding the effects that school reforms, such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Race to the Top (RTTT), have on minority students attending Citizens’ Memorial School.
School Demographics
Citizens’ Memorial School houses 330 students and 31 classroom teachers, providing a teacher-student ratio of 1:7 (state’s teacher-student ratio is 1:11). According to SurveyWorks, 158 fourth and fifth grade Citizen’s Memorial School students were given a survey to ask about multiple aspects of the school. One section of this survey included the school demographics, of the 158 fourth and fifth graders, 47.1% are males (state average: 50.2%), and 52.9% are females (state average: 47.4%). [6] The ethnic breakdown reveals the diversity of the area. A higher percentage of minority students are observed. As seen in Table 1, of the students that completed this survey indicated that 42.3% are Hispanic or Latino, compared to state, 22.1% and 15.6% are African American, 6.8% are Asian, 4.1 % are American Indian, 1.4 % are Native Hawaiian and 29.9% are more than one race. This information indicates that Citizens Memorial School has a diverse student body, mostly comprised of minority students, especially Hispanics. [6]
Table 1 - Citizens' Elementary School gender and ethnic breakdown
Geographical Location [7]
Based on what could be seen from Google Maps Street View, Citizens’ Memorial School is located in a residential area near a wood estate. The school does not have a playground for students to run and play.
Student Achievement
Information Reported By Schools
In the state of Rhode Island, student achievement is measured by the New England Common Assessment Program, NECAP. It is implemented in both elementary and secondary education. The NECAP originated in response to the federal No Child Left Behind Act school reform. Rhode Island administers this test in October and May of each academic school year. [9] This report will focus on the data collected for 4th grade reading, math and science NECAP scores. In order to understand if the school is in compliance with the NCLB act, this report will focus on the percent proficiency of minority students, especially Hispanics, students with disability and English language learners students. The scores will be compared with the scores of the 4th graders attending Kevin Coleman Elementary School, located in the same district – Woonsocket. The scores will also be compared to the scores of 4th graders attending James H. Edredge Elementary School in East Greenwich. James H. E. Elementary School is 90% white, has no Hispanics, 1% are English language learners students and there is no poverty. The NECAP Assessments from 2011-2012 shows that Citizens Memorial School is significantly behind compared to the state average. As seen in Chart 1, in 4th grade Math, Citizens Memorial School students were 45% proficient as compared to the state average of 65% proficiency, and compared to James H. E. Elementary School in East Greenwich average of 88% proficiency (see chart 2), they did not fare well. 4th grade reading assessments reported that Citizens memorial school students were 65% proficient whereas the state average is 71% proficient, Kevin Coleman Elementary average is 35%-far worse than Citizens’ Memorial School (see table 2), but far below James H. E. Elementary School of 90% proficiency. 4th grade Citizens’ Memorial Elementary and Kevin Coleman Elementary students scored about as poorly in science assessments, 14% proficiency, as compared to the state average of 45%. Both schools performed far below to students attending James H. E. Elementary School who were reported to be 79% proficient. [10]
Citizens’ Memorial Elementary School has scored significantly lower than the state average and East Greenwich Elementary School on the NECAP assessment. The students, however, did performed better in math and reading as compared to another elementary school in the same district and with almost equally number of minority students. On a positive note, changing reading and language arts classes to a block schedule seemed to have worked, in this section there is no difference in scores between minority students and white students, both are reported to be 34% non-proficient and almost the same is reported among students living in poverty, they are 35% non-proficient as compare to students not living in poverty who are 30% non-proficient. [10]
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is a method of measuring student and school progress under the No Child Left Behind law. AYP is a way to show whether schools are making progress in their efforts to improve the curriculum, the quality of their teaching, and other aspects that would improve the quality of education. According to No Child Left Behind, the Accountability Summary and Classification report for school year 2012 – 2013, Citizens Memorial School is currently in Warning. Based on the AYP Report Card, the school failed to reach its reading proficiency target among Hispanic, economically disadvantaged and minority super-subgroup students. The school met 13 of the 16 target areas evaluated in 2013. [11]
As seen in chart 1 and 2, it is quite obvious that the 4th grade students attending this school are not performing up to par; mathematics proficiency percentage is 56%, reading proficiency percentage is 64 % and they are 14% proficient in science. These scores are far below other 4th grade students attending East Greenwich Elementary school. According to the 2005 SALT report, 85% of the students did not achieve the standard on the math concepts subtest and 86% did not achieve the standard on the problem-solving subtest of the 2004 New Standards Reference Examination. SALT visiting team observed that Citizens’ Memorial School students are not proficient problem solvers. The observed students rarely extended their knowledge of math beyond the minimum of what their teachers expected.
The findings of the research conducted by Balfanz and Byrnes (2006) may probably explain why students attending Citizens Memorial School are under-performing, especially in math, compared to East Greenwich Elementary schools students. "A study that followed four cohorts of students through high-poverty middle schools in Philadelphia found that controlling for teacher quality, prior achievement, behavior, effort, and demographics, students who were chronically absent had significantly lower odds of closing their mathematics achievement gap, than students who were equal in all other respects but attended school regularly (Balfanz and Byrnes, 2006)." Rates of chronic absenteeism at Citizens' Memorial School, 28%, is much higher than the chronic absenteeism rate at East Greenwich Elementary school, 2%.
These assessments are intended to demonstrate competency of the school teachers, and administration through student proficiency but this data is not reflective of the school’s teaching or student ability to learn. However, research indicates otherwise. The research article titled Fallout from the Testing Explosion states, "Standardized tests often produce results that are inaccurate, inconsistent, and biased against minority, female, and low-income students. Such tests shift control and authority into the hands of the unregulated testing industry and can undermine school achievement by narrowing the curriculum, frustrating teachers, and driving students out of school. It is contended that, standardized tests do not measure much. Current standardized multiple-choice tests are severely flawed, based on assumptions about human ability that cannot be proven, and with inadequate content" ( Monty and Medina, 2000).[8] Standardized tests are also being misuse; they have become the major criterion for school decisions affecting curriculum format and teaching style There are a number of factors which can greatly affect the results of these assessments. For example, these students have other challenges, such as their family economic situation [9 ], that East Greenwich students do not have to deal with. Beside their parents are more educated and are able to help their children financially. Citizens’ Elementary School parents stated that only 2% attended college, only a small percentage has a high school diploma or GED. As stated at the beginning of this report, by looking at these scores it is clear that standardized test are very unfair to minority students and to students living in poverty.
Table 2 - Kevin Coleman Elementary School - 4th Grade Student Achievement / 2011-12 NECAP Assessments
Chart 2 - James H. Eldredge Elementary School - 4th Grade Student Achievement / 2011-12 NECAP Assessments
Information Reported by Students
When students do not reach the expected proficiency, one tends to quickly question the efficacy of schools’ teachers. To have a better understanding of the teachers’ commitment, student survey conducted by InfoWorks in 2012 was analyzed. The objective is to see whether or not teachers are doing everything possible to help their students reach their potential. As seen in table 3, the result of the survey indicated that 38.2% of the 157 students that completed the survey feel their teacher makes learning fun, compared to the statewide 40 %. 61.1% of the students stated that their teachers inspire them to learn more, compare to the state 52.6%. 96.7% of the students stated that their teacher care, compare to the state 94.2%. 94.8% of the students also stated that they can ask their teachers if they have problems with their homework. 54.8% of the students also stated that their teachers explain concepts different ways until they get it, compared to the state 52.9%. [12]
The survey completed by students clearly indicates that teachers are making sure their lessons are engaging and they are inspiring their students to want to learn more, at least 61.1% of the 157 students that completed the survey feel this way. They are also helping their students understand the homework. The teachers at Citizens’ Memorial School are going beyond the call of duty in most areas (SALT report 2005, p.6). However, math teachers need to have higher expectations of their students, these students face unimaginable challenges, but they are capable of performing academically. Majority of the questions found in standardized tests required students to be able to answer higher level thinking questions, especially science questions. The percentage of teachers explaining concepts different ways should also be higher.
Areas that need improvement: Reading: Hispanics, economically disadvantaged students, & minority super-subgroup
Teaching Ensuring that all students in public schools are taught by effective teachers is an educational and moral obligation. Are Citizens’ Memorial Elementary School teachers creating the conditions for the success of their students? According to the partners in the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project,” teachers want to succeed, but they typically lack the conditions for success. All teachers in general feel that they are on their own to adjust practice to better serve students. "What guidance they get often is plagued by vague teaching standards, overly numerous and often trivial learning objectives, and testing systems that measure only some of the outcomes that educators value for students. Success itself remains ill defined.” [13] In order for a school to be successful, the school needs to have teachers that are motivated, passionate about teaching, knowledgeable, driven; and do everything humanly possible to help their students reach their potential. In order to see if Citizens Memorial School teachers are creating conditions for the success of their students, and to see if the school administration and the district are making this possible, the SALT report and InfoWorks survey will be analyzed.
Information Reported By Schools
According to the InfoWorks Qualifications and Teacher-Student Ratio 2010-11 data, 5% of the 54 teachers at Citizens Memorial School are not highly qualified educators. The number of not highly qualified educators at this school is 4% higher than the state average, and 5% higher than the East Greenwich Elementary School, James H. E. Elementary School. The Teacher-Student ratio is 7 students per teacher, compared to the state average of eleven students per teacher, and compared to James H. E. Elementary school average of 10 students per teacher. [14] According to Stephanie Cheng’s research results, minority students benefit more than others from reduced class size; it causes higher academic achievement. [15]However, based on the fact that when the teacher-student ratio is calculated, non-teaching staff is also included. It cannot be concluded that the class size at Citizens' Memorial School is small compared to the state average.
SALT visit to Citizens’ Memorial Elementary School from September 28 to October 1, 1999 concluded that Citizen's Memorial Elementary School opens its doors daily to the challenge of working with a student population of many different abilities and language backgrounds. “There is much passion and desire for growth with many dedicated teachers striving to provide effective educational experiences for students. Some exemplary practices are evident throughout the school, but they are not practiced on a school-wide basis. High expectations and a clear focus and purpose of instruction are inherent in standards driven reform. In many classrooms low expectations for student performance and limited alignment of lessons to standards were evident; limited teaching strategies fail to meet the diverse learning needs of students. Successful strategies to implement school-based standards have been impeded by a lack of professional development that is consistent with the school’s goals for improvement. The absence of high standards in mathematics deprives students of necessary elements in reaching high achievement. Also, in general, the results of performance-based assessments do not provide constructive feedback to students or teachers about student learning on a regular basis.” The staff stated the obstacles that are in the way of the students’ performance include: limited materials, space, professional development and time to work together. Their efforts are further hindered by the limited support and direction provided by the district. There is not yet clear, school-wide understanding and implementation of standards in the areas of math problem solving which are instrumental in achieving high performance on state assessments. [16] This clearly is observed in the low math NECAP assessment scores.
Information Reported by Students
As seen in Table 4 , 158 students who were 4th and 5th grade students were asked if they felt as if their teachers cared about them. 96.7% of these students strongly agreed with this statement. Statewide, about 94.2% of students agreed with this statement. This indicates that the students feel that their teacher truly cares about them. 158 students were asked if they thought that their teachers like teaching. 97.4% of students strongly agreed with this statement as compared to the state average of 96.1% of students saying that they agreed with this statement. [17] The students responses presented here clearly reflect the passion of the teacher as it was observed by SALT. The majority of the students feel as if their teachers care about them and that their teachers actually enjoy teaching. This is also an indication of the quality and commitment of most of the teachers at Citizens Memorial.
155 students composed of 4th and 5th graders were asked if their teachers were willing to explain something different ways until they get it. About 54.8% students said that their teachers will always explain something to them in different ways until they get. The state average for the same question states that 52.9% of students feel the same way (see Table 6). I was hoping to see a higher percentage, but this indicates that some teachers are doing their best to make sure their students understand trivial concepts. When they were asked if they can talk to their teacher if they are having a problem with school work, 94.8% agreed that this statement reflect their teachers willingness to provide guidance, statewide, 93.9% agreed with this statement. When they were asked if their teachers make them want to learn more, 61.1% , of the 157 4th and 5th grades, agreed with the statement, compared to statewide of 52.6%. 155 students composed of 4th and 5th graders were asked if their teachers think they will go to college, 80% of the responded positively, compared to statewide average of 62.6%. These statistics lead one to believe that the teachers at Citizens Memorial School are encouraging their students to succeed not just now but they have faith in their students’ potential, and some teachers are dedicated to helping the students to understand the information. [17]
A number of students at Citizens Memorial Elementary School were asked a number of questions regarding how they feel about their teachers. The results are as follows:
According to Charletta Suddoth’s Doctoral Theses Dissertation, parent involvement may have implications for student achievement.[18] Parents of minority students are frequently criticized for not being involved enough in their students' education. Parent involvement can be limited due to a lack of time, monetary resources, or transportation; past negative experiences with school; a non-welcoming school environment; or a different definition of parent involvement or different language. [18] Another longitudinal study conducted by Ann LeFeyre, examined the effects of school-based and home-based Latino parent involvement using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS:88). Both forms of support were significant predictors of student achievement; the impact of home-based support was nearly as great as that of school-based support. It was suggested that Latino students benefit from both methods of involvement, and type of parent involvement should be acknowledged and supported. [19] As indicated by research, students’ family, community and home life are all very important contributing factors to the student’s success. In this section of the report, InfoWorks survey completed by students and parents, and InfoWorks Families and Communities Data will be analyzed.
Information Reported By Schools
InfoWorks Families and Communities 2012-13 data indicates 93% of students attending Citizens Memorial School are eligible for subsidized lunch, the state average is 46% and James H. E. Elementary School in East Greenwich is 7%. 12% receive ESL/Bilingual Education Services as compared to the state average of only 6%, and compared to James H. E. Elementary School average of only 1%. This means that 12% of the students at Citizens Memorial School do not speak English as their first language. [20] This a huge obstacle that every immigrant child must overcome, it is not an easy challenge and not able to practice the adopted language at home can further complicate this goal. Added to this frustration, parents are not able to help even if they have the desire for the same reasons.
In 1999, SALT report stated, “There is rich diversity in the student population at Citizen’s Memorial Elementary School. This richness is not visibly celebrated or utilized effectively as a resource, ignoring the presence of almost half of the students in the school. The lack of representation and bilingual resources limits the school’s ability to assess student learning or achievement.“ In 2005, SALT reported, “English Language Learners receive instruction and support in a variety of settings, but not all of these provide adequate support for these learners. There are three levels of ELL students—beginner, intermediate and advanced. The beginner and intermediate students receive instruction in reading and writing from an ESL certified teacher in a “pullout setting.” Students in this setting learn well. They develop language fluency and understanding. They work in small groups using a variety of visual and auditory supports to develop proficient English language skills. There are high expectations for student achievement in this group. However, these students are lost when they return to the regular education classrooms. Not many classrooms provide them with sufficient support. Teachers recognize this problem and say they need help supporting ELL, as well as “Culturally and Linguistically Diverse,” students in their classrooms. They are just beginning to receive professional development and guidance during their weekly study group meetings to address the needs of these students.” [21] Students who are English language learners (ESL), and other children with insufficient language development usually get frequently confused, embarrassed and are hesitant to ask questions. Sadly, these students are sometimes forgotten. Clearly, the school made some improvement but there is room for improvement.
On the other hand, very few parents are actively involved at Citizens’ Memorial Elementary School. The 2005 Salt Survey states that “only 10% of the parents attend PTO meetings and only 38% attend special events involving their children. This statistic cannot be compared to the parent involvement at the East Greenwich Elementary school because the 1999 SALTreport only concludes that parents have high expectations (Eldredge SALT report, 1999, p.8). Ongoing school and district efforts provide numerous activities in which parents can participate. The monthly Coffee Hours offer opportunities for parents to meet with the principal and voice their concerns, but parent attendance is low. The TIME teacher organizes parent workshops, surveys parent needs and notifies parents about activities in both Spanish and English, but parent participation is minimal. While this has been a problem for a number of years, teachers and parents report there has been a slight increase in parent participation. Parents report a desire to hold parent workshops at Citizens’, rather than at other schools in the district. The school and the district recognize these problems and continue to explore ways to increase parent outreach.”
The schools recognized the need of their students and there are trying to meet their needs. There is very little parent involvement, the factors could be many. Both parents and school administrators and teachers need to work together to make sure all of the students are successful.
Information Reported by Students
100 % reported that their parents want them to get good grades. This statistic shows that great majority of the students indicated that their parents want and encourage them to succeed. 96.8 % of those students reported that their parents want to know what they are doing in school, compared to the statewide 94.8 %. This number also shows that a large portion of the students have a supportive learning environment. These numbers show that a majority of the parents are staying active in their child's school lives at least their involvement seems to be more home-based. The SALT report indicated only 10% of the parents attend school event. As seen in table 7, 102 parents responded to InfoWorks survey, when asked if the main office staff members are friendly and helpful, only 40.8% agree, statewide 47.9% agree. When asked if they feel welcome at this school, 48.0% of 102 indicated that they strongly agree, statewide percentage is 49.8%. As I indicated earlier, as much as these parents would like to become more involve a number of factors impede these efforts, such as lack of time, monetary resources, transportation, don’t feel welcome at the school and language barrier. Based on the students’ response, the following can be inferred that, at home, the students are being encouraged to have school as their number one priority. [22]
A number of parents were asked a number of questions regarding how they feel about Citizen's Memorial School. The results are as follows:
Safe and Supportive Schools Schools are places of learning. The climate of a school has a direct impact on both how well students learn and how well they interact with their teachers and peers. Feeling safe and valued are fundamental human needs, without which learning becomes secondary and suffers. Especially in the last two decades, research indicates that when school-related relationships do not feel supportive, students become alienated from learning and perform poorly. Alienated students are higher risk to drop out of school. Also, all students need to feel cared for, safe and nourished to achieve to their highest capability. They cannot learn if they're absent, suspended, their families change their residences, or worry about something. According to Infoworks, safe and supportive schools definition, administrators and teachers promote student learning and well-being in school by establishing a supportive classroom structure. The term "classroom structure" refers to how teachers design tasks, and maintain authority. [23] In this section of the report, attendance record, the personal safety in and around the school, types of bullying, kind of support from teachers, frequency of fights at school, school rules, and mobility will be analyzed.
Information Reported By Schools
Chronic absenteeism means missing 10% of a school year. Attendance rates can deeply affect a student’s grades. If a student is chronically absent, their grades will reflect that. Citizens Memorial has a 93% attendance rate and 27% of the students are chronically absent. Almost the same attendance statistic is observed at Kevin K. Coleman Elementary School, located in Woonsocket, 93% attendance and 28% of the students are chronically absent. The state attendance rate is 95%, and 17% of students are chronically absent.Now if Citizens Memorial is compared to James H. E. Elementary School in East Greenwich, 97% attendance rate and only 2% of the students are chronically absent. These numbers show that the students are capable of getting to school on a fairly regular basis. The stability and mobility indices describe the level of students flow through a school, which can lead to academic disruptions. The mobility index at Citizens Memorial School is 27%, Kevin K. Coleman Elementary School is equally high, 24%, and the state’s average is 14%. The mobility index at James H. E. Elementary School is a low 4%. During the 2011-2012 academic year, there were 22 reported suspension at Citizens Memorial School, Kevin K. Coleman Elementary School reported an alarming 83 suspensions and James H. E. Elementary School reported only 4 suspensions. [24]
Research indicates that achievement, especially math, is very sensitive to attendance, and chronic absenteeism in one school year matters (Balfanz et al., 2006). Balfanz and Byrnes (2012) research findings indicate that attendance strongly affects standardized test scores, graduation and dropout rates. As seen in chart 1 and chart 2, Citizens' Memorial School 4th grade NECAP scores, especially NECAP math scores, are much lower than James H. E. Elementary School 4th grade NECAP scores. Chronic absenteeism is more frequently observed among low-income students; the amount of school days they are missing is staggering, and this can greatly impact the school success (Balfanz and Byrnes, 2012).
Another research has shown that students who live in high-poverty communities benefit the most from going to school; it provides logical sense that these same students might be negatively affected by absenteeism (Ready, 2010).
Daily attendance is crucial for academic success for any student, but especially for students that live in low-income communities.
Information Reported by Students
A number of students at Citizens Memorial Elementary School were asked a number of questions regarding how safe they feel in their school. The results are as follows:
The above data, table 6, indicates that 86.5% agree to feel safe on the way to school. Statewide, 91.5% agreed to feel safe on the way to school. 91.0% of students at Citizens Memorial School agreed that they feel safe in the hallways of the school. This number is significantly higher than the state average of 90.9 % of students who said that they feel safe in the hallways of their schools. 81.4% of the students of Citizens Memorial School agreed that they feel safe outside of the school. This number is slightly less than the state average of 85.4% of students who said they feel safe walking outside of school.
Clearly, the table 7 indicates that the school has much more crime compared to state.
There is also a high percentage of students who admitted to being physical, 27.6%. As seen in Table 7, 22.4% of the students admitted to have seen another student with knife, 94.1% of the time, and with gun, 11.8% of the time. While 24.5% of students admit they have been robbed while at school is in a 81.5 % of students of the 4th and 5th graded that participated in the survey believed that rules at their school is fair, compared to statewide, 81.1% of the students agree with their schools rules.
A number of students at Citizens Memorial Elementary School were asked a number of questions regarding bullying. The results are as follows:
As seen in table 8, 55.8% of the students stated that they have been the victims of at least one form of bullying while at school, which is slightly higher to the statewide percentage of 51.1. According to the data above, 75.9% of the students are reporting these incidents to a parent or a teacher. The statewide data indicates that fewer students are reporting the bullying incidents, 73.7%. When they were asked if the bullying stop after they told an adult, 64.5% agreed that the bullying did stop. On a positive note, 91.7% of the students revealed that they feel comfortable talking to their teachers about problems they are having with another student, the statewide report indicates that 92.8% of the students feel the same way. 75.3% of the students feel comfortable talking to about issues at their home life, which is lower than what was reported statewide, 70.3%. Bullying is a problem in this school. In order for the school to be more successful, administrators, teachers, and parents need to work together to eradicate bullying so that students well-being (emotionally and physically) and school work may not be affected by bullying. The good news is that the students know that they can to go to their teachers for support. School administrators should look at this data carefully and see why the bullying did not stop. They need to implement other practices to put a stop to bullying.
In 2005, SALT reported that a fair, consistent discipline policy outlines the expectations for student behavior. “Discipline is administered swiftly and justly.” Clearly the staff feels supported by the principal and they know that the principal will follow through. Numerous safety issues at the school have been addressed. Students and parents know that Citizens’ is a safe place where everyone can learn.
Funding and Resources Available Funds and resources to students and teachers, is another import factor in determining the success of the school. Another important factor is the family's income. The majority of a public school’s funding comes from local taxes. Additional data is provided for the district in the Woonsocket District Profile. Woonsocket District
Information Reported By Schools
The district median family income in the year 2009 was $ 38,353 dollars. According to the InfoWorks, Citizens’ Memorial spends $12,362 dollars per student. The average family income suggests that the surrounding neighborhood is low-income housing. [26] According to the 2005 SALT survey report, Citizens’ is located in an area that has one of the highest child neglect and abuse rates in the state. Parents may not be able to live comfortably and be able to support their child's education; this is probably one stress factor that probably contributes to neglect and abuse. However, the school spends over $12,362 dollars on each student. This shows that the school is providing the adequate funding for their students. SALT also reported that in 2005, many programs were in place to address the diverse needs of students. For example, The Institute for Non-Violence conducts student workshops every Tuesday and Thursday. The T.I.M.E. (Teacher In Multiple Environments) teacher facilitates a before-school program for at-risk students and maintains a parent information corner. In addition, Citizens’ Memorial has created partnerships with InstaCare, CVS and Walmart to bring additional money and materials into the school. [27]
Information Reported by Students
The following student survey regards the resources afforded to the students at Citizens Memorial School. It is noted that some resource deficiencies are present, especially in the use of technology.
Citizens’ Memorial School teachers also completed InfoWorks survey. Table 10 shows their response to the questions they were asked. The questions asked to the teachers are regarding the resources afforded to the teachers and students at Citizens’ Memorial School. According to the below statistics, only 54.5 % agreed to having enough space for effective instruction, an alarming 80% of the teachers agreed that their students in their classes need to share books and 50% of the teachers agreed to have access to up-to-date instructional materials through the school or district.
The following table, 11, is the results of the survey completed by the parents of students attending Citizens’ Memorial School regarding the resources afforded to the parents and students at Citizens’ Memorial School.
As seen in table 11, 83% of the parents agreed that the school has enough classroom supplies, and 86% said that the school has enough computers. According the 2005 SALT survey report, the school implemented many programs in order to address the diverse needs of the students. According to the above survey completed by the parents of students that attend this school, only 14.7% of them are not aware of any of the programs provided. Only12.6% of the parents know that there is a mentoring program; 21.1% of the parents know that there is a homework club and 15.8 % of them are aware of tutoring programs. It seems that the school needs to improve in the way they communicate with the parents; some are missing very importing information. [28 ]
Changes over the Past Ten Years
In 2005, SALT report stated that Citizens’ Memorial Elementary School is a school that is on the move. Throughout the years, Citizens’ has restructured its grade levels many times. It opened in 1958 for students in kindergarten through grade six. In 2001, Citizens’ became a school for students in grades three through five. In 2003, grade two was added. But in the school year of 2012-13, grade 2 was dropped. The building also changed through the years. The computer lab was updated in the spring of 1999 with 25 new Imacs. Internet capabilities were installed school wide. In 2000, a ten-room addition was constructed on the building. The school has moved to block scheduling in reading/language arts. Since Citizens’ had a number of different administrators through the years, most teachers at Citizens’ Elementary perceived that the school has been struggling with no direction or common vision. There have been some changes noticed at Citizens Memorial Elementary School over the past decade.
The following data, provided by InfoWorks, can be used to compare the academic progress at Citizens Memorial Elementary School over the past ten years. (see table 12)
Table 12 - Citizents' Memorial School Performance: 2002-03
The Chart 3 indicates the characteristics of the students attending this school and their academic achievement from 2000 to 2002:
Chart 3 - Student Characteristics and Academic Achievement from 2000 to 2002
As seen in Chart 3, for the year 2001-2002 and the previous year, this school was labeled as Low Performing; 33% or more of the school population was not proficient. In 1999 the SALT visiting team, gave the staff the following recommendations: "Obtain the professional development needed to implement standards-based curriculum, to develop differentiated instructional strategies and to develop performance-based assessments tied to standards. Demonstrate your commitment that each and every student can reach high standards. Implement standards-based benchmarks for student performance in Language Arts (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and Mathematics (skills, concepts and problem solving). Place a high priority on implementing the district mathematics curriculum. Analysis of data to determine student needs." Few years later of these recommendations, the school still lacks appropriate mathematics standards-based benchmarks. The low performance scores in math clearly indicates the lack of resources provided to the teachers.
Chart 4 - 2007-2008 School Academic Performance
The data shown in Chart 4, indicates that during 2007-2008 school year the school was still under-performing in both Math and Language arts compared to state.
Table 13 - According to Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Report Card: School Classification from 2011 to 2013 Based on the above statistic, a lot of things have change over the years, such as number of principals, but the low performing scores have remained stagnant. Students are still struggling, mostly in math and science. In 2005, SALT visiting team also provided the school with their recommendations. These are some of their recommendations: “Develop a coherent understanding and implementation of the workshop model for reading, writing and math. Hold all students accountable to the same high expectations. Increase differentiated instruction in reading, writing and math. Continue professional development in these areas. Develop questioning techniques and instructional practices to promote critical thinking skills. Encourage students to explore math concepts, and provide adequate time for them to do that. Increase opportunities for them to share and justify their solutions.” These recommendations were specifically chosen, to show that may be these are one of the factors affecting the students’ math, science, reading and writing NECAP scores. One can conclude that the school is not making an effort to implement the recommendations made by the SALT report or if they are, they are not sufficient enough to overcome the obstacles the students face or that their effort has not yet come to fruition.
Conclusion
Based on the above information, one can conclude whether or not Citizens Memorial Elementary School is a school that is moving in the right direction, and they are meeting the NCLB act. Citizens Memorial Elementary School is striving to overcome its deficiencies; it is located in an area that is poverty-stricken and has to deal with a constantly fluctuating student population. It is evident this school tries to provide for its students by accommodating for language barriers, hosting after school programs, having a common planning period, and emphasizing pride in cultural diversity. They are providing adequate funding for the students. However, the school is not providing a diverse learning environment, teachers need to challenge their students they need to develop questioning techniques and instructional practices to promote critical thinking skills and reduce teacher-centered lessons, and increase opportunities for active student learning and promote independent thinking. (2005 SALT report) AYP standards despite being below average, teachers showed to be supportive educators, and encourage their students’ success. The school needs to increase support for ELL students in regular education classrooms, and provide professional development in how to support ELL students within the regular education classrooms. Teachers need to believe that every student can achieve, they need to have high expectations for all of their students and hold them accountable. The school is still failing to provide help to minority students. Administrators, but especially district administrators need to make sure that all teachers develop expertise in the new and more effective instructional methods and programs. (2005 Salt Report) They need to be provided with all the updated resources. Despite the many obstacles that teachers and students face each day, the school seems to be trying to improve and become a more successful school.
7. Google Maps ( 2013). Citizens’ Memorial Elementary. Retrieved from http://maps.google.com/
8. Medina, Monty. (2000). Fallout from the Testing Explosion: How 100 Million Standardized Exams Undermine Equity and Excellence in America's Public Schools. Third edition. ERIC
15. Cheng, S. (2012). "That's it for Today": Academic lecture closings and the impact of class size. ERIC, 31(4), pp. 234-248. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2012.05.004
18. Sudduth, C. D. (n.d.). Our voices: Parental involvement in an urban elementary school. ERIC-Education Resources Information Center, Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov
19. LeFevre, A. L. (2012). Latino parent involvement and school success. Education and Urban Society, 44(6), pp. 707-723.
29. Balfanz, R., & Byrnes, V. (2006). Closing the Mathematics Achievement Gaps in High Poverty Middle Schools: Enablers and Constrains. Journal for Educating Students Placed at Risk, 11(2), pp. 143-157.
30. Balfanz, R., & Byrners, V. (2012). Chronic Absenteeism: Summarizing What We Know From Nationally Available Data. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Center for Social Organization of Schools.
31. Ready, D. (2010). Socioeconomic disadvantage, school attendance, and early cognitive development: The differentiatial effects of school exposure. Sociology of Education, 83(4), pp. 271-286.
Woonsocket District
Grades 3-5
Mission Statement
Citizens' Memorial School’s mission is to provide a safe and orderly school in which teachers are prepared to instruct students to meet the highest standards in all curricula and students will achieve to their fullest potential. [1]
Introduction
Citizens’ Memorial School is located in urban Woonsocket, Rhode Island. It is one of 12 elementary schools in the city of Woonsocket. It serves students from a multi-ethnic population from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds (SALT report 2005, p. 4). The surrounding neighborhood is low-income, and this area is known to have one of the highest child neglect and abuse rates in the state (SALT report 2005, p. 4). The school was built in 1958 on existing wet lands, and it opened in 1958 for students in kindergarten through grade six. Throughout the years, Citizens’ has restructured its grade levels many times. [2]
Citizens’ Memorial Schools is under the supervision of Superintendent Giovanna Donoyan and Principal Raphael Diaz. The school serves children from 3rd grade through 5th grade. Currently, 330 students are attending the school. During the 2012-13 school year, 93% of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, and 21% percent receive special education services and 12 % are in ESL programs (InfoWorks- Student Characteristics, 2013). The mobility rate, 27%, is higher than the district, 26%, and state averages, 14% (InfoWorks Woonsocket & Citizens' Memorial School- Student Indicators, 2012). Citizens’ Memorial School is a Title I Schoolwide School. [4] According to 1999 SALT’s survey, the computer Lab was updated with 25 new Imacs, and internet capabilities were installed school wide. Reading and language arts were moved to block schedule. Therefore, literacy is major focus at Citizens’ Memorial School. Different administrators have served the school during the past ten years; teaching staff at Citizens’ Memorial School feel that the school has no direction or common vision. [5]
In order to properly determine whether or not Citizens’ Memorial School is fulfilling the commitment made on their mission statement and, is in accordance with No Child Left Behind act (NCLB) and Race to the Top (RTTT), this report will analyze statistical data over the past decade, of 5 different indicators such as the student achievement; teaching; family, community, and home life; safe and supportive schools; funding and resources; and changes made in the past decade. The purpose of this report is to provide a concise overview of the school to parents, educators, students, and anyone else who has an interest in understanding the effects that school reforms, such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Race to the Top (RTTT), have on minority students attending Citizens’ Memorial School.
School Demographics
Citizens’ Memorial School houses 330 students and 31 classroom teachers, providing a teacher-student ratio of 1:7 (state’s teacher-student ratio is 1:11). According to SurveyWorks, 158 fourth and fifth grade Citizen’s Memorial School students were given a survey to ask about multiple aspects of the school. One section of this survey included the school demographics, of the 158 fourth and fifth graders, 47.1% are males (state average: 50.2%), and 52.9% are females (state average: 47.4%). [6] The ethnic breakdown reveals the diversity of the area. A higher percentage of minority students are observed. As seen in Table 1, of the students that completed this survey indicated that 42.3% are Hispanic or Latino, compared to state, 22.1% and 15.6% are African American, 6.8% are Asian, 4.1 % are American Indian, 1.4 % are Native Hawaiian and 29.9% are more than one race. This information indicates that Citizens Memorial School has a diverse student body, mostly comprised of minority students, especially Hispanics. [6]
Table 1 - Citizens' Elementary School gender and ethnic breakdown
Geographical Location
Based on what could be seen from Google Maps Street View, Citizens’ Memorial School is located in a residential area near a wood estate. The school does not have a playground for students to run and play.
Student Achievement
Information Reported By Schools
In the state of Rhode Island, student achievement is measured by the New England Common Assessment Program, NECAP. It is implemented in both elementary and secondary education. The NECAP originated in response to the federal No Child Left Behind Act school reform. Rhode Island administers this test in October and May of each academic school year. [9] This report will focus on the data collected for 4th grade reading, math and science NECAP scores. In order to understand if the school is in compliance with the NCLB act, this report will focus on the percent proficiency of minority students, especially Hispanics, students with disability and English language learners students. The scores will be compared with the scores of the 4th graders attending Kevin Coleman Elementary School, located in the same district – Woonsocket. The scores will also be compared to the scores of 4th graders attending James H. Edredge Elementary School in East Greenwich. James H. E. Elementary School is 90% white, has no Hispanics, 1% are English language learners students and there is no poverty. The NECAP Assessments from 2011-2012 shows that Citizens Memorial School is significantly behind compared to the state average. As seen in Chart 1, in 4th grade Math, Citizens Memorial School students were 45% proficient as compared to the state average of 65% proficiency, and compared to James H. E. Elementary School in East Greenwich average of 88% proficiency (see chart 2), they did not fare well. 4th grade reading assessments reported that Citizens memorial school students were 65% proficient whereas the state average is 71% proficient, Kevin Coleman Elementary average is 35%-far worse than Citizens’ Memorial School (see table 2), but far below James H. E. Elementary School of 90% proficiency. 4th grade Citizens’ Memorial Elementary and Kevin Coleman Elementary students scored about as poorly in science assessments, 14% proficiency, as compared to the state average of 45%. Both schools performed far below to students attending James H. E. Elementary School who were reported to be 79% proficient. [10]
Citizens’ Memorial Elementary School has scored significantly lower than the state average and East Greenwich Elementary School on the NECAP assessment. The students, however, did performed better in math and reading as compared to another elementary school in the same district and with almost equally number of minority students. On a positive note, changing reading and language arts classes to a block schedule seemed to have worked, in this section there is no difference in scores between minority students and white students, both are reported to be 34% non-proficient and almost the same is reported among students living in poverty, they are 35% non-proficient as compare to students not living in poverty who are 30% non-proficient. [10]
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is a method of measuring student and school progress under the No Child Left Behind law. AYP is a way to show whether schools are making progress in their efforts to improve the curriculum, the quality of their teaching, and other aspects that would improve the quality of education. According to No Child Left Behind, the Accountability Summary and Classification report for school year 2012 – 2013, Citizens Memorial School is currently in Warning. Based on the AYP Report Card, the school failed to reach its reading proficiency target among Hispanic, economically disadvantaged and minority super-subgroup students. The school met 13 of the 16 target areas evaluated in 2013. [11]
As seen in chart 1 and 2, it is quite obvious that the 4th grade students attending this school are not performing up to par; mathematics proficiency percentage is 56%, reading proficiency percentage is 64 % and they are 14% proficient in science. These scores are far below other 4th grade students attending East Greenwich Elementary school. According to the 2005 SALT report, 85% of the students did not achieve the standard on the math concepts subtest and 86% did not achieve the standard on the problem-solving subtest of the 2004 New Standards Reference Examination. SALT visiting team observed that Citizens’ Memorial School students are not proficient problem solvers. The observed students rarely extended their knowledge of math beyond the minimum of what their teachers expected.
The findings of the research conducted by Balfanz and Byrnes (2006) may probably explain why students attending Citizens Memorial School are under-performing, especially in math, compared to East Greenwich Elementary schools students. "A study that followed four cohorts of students through high-poverty middle schools in Philadelphia found that controlling for teacher quality, prior achievement, behavior, effort, and demographics, students who were chronically absent had significantly lower odds of closing their mathematics achievement gap, than students who were equal in all other respects but attended school regularly (Balfanz and Byrnes, 2006)." Rates of chronic absenteeism at Citizens' Memorial School, 28%, is much higher than the chronic absenteeism rate at East Greenwich Elementary school, 2%.
These assessments are intended to demonstrate competency of the school teachers, and administration through student proficiency but this data is not reflective of the school’s teaching or student ability to learn. However, research indicates otherwise. The research article titled Fallout from the Testing Explosion states, "Standardized tests often produce results that are inaccurate, inconsistent, and biased against minority, female, and low-income students. Such tests shift control and authority into the hands of the unregulated testing industry and can undermine school achievement by narrowing the curriculum, frustrating teachers, and driving students out of school. It is contended that, standardized tests do not measure much. Current standardized multiple-choice tests are severely flawed, based on assumptions about human ability that cannot be proven, and with inadequate content" ( Monty and Medina, 2000).[8] Standardized tests are also being misuse; they have become the major criterion for school decisions affecting curriculum format and teaching style There are a number of factors which can greatly affect the results of these assessments. For example, these students have other challenges, such as their family economic situation [9 ], that East Greenwich students do not have to deal with. Beside their parents are more educated and are able to help their children financially. Citizens’ Elementary School parents stated that only 2% attended college, only a small percentage has a high school diploma or GED. As stated at the beginning of this report, by looking at these scores it is clear that standardized test are very unfair to minority students and to students living in poverty.
Chart 1 - Citizens' Memorial Elementary School- 4th Grade Student Achievement / 2011-12 NECAP Assessments
District: Woonsocket
Table 2 - Kevin Coleman Elementary School - 4th Grade Student Achievement / 2011-12 NECAP Assessments
Chart 2 - James H. Eldredge Elementary School - 4th Grade Student Achievement / 2011-12 NECAP Assessments
Information Reported by Students
When students do not reach the expected proficiency, one tends to quickly question the efficacy of schools’ teachers. To have a better understanding of the teachers’ commitment, student survey conducted by InfoWorks in 2012 was analyzed. The objective is to see whether or not teachers are doing everything possible to help their students reach their potential. As seen in table 3, the result of the survey indicated that 38.2% of the 157 students that completed the survey feel their teacher makes learning fun, compared to the statewide 40 %. 61.1% of the students stated that their teachers inspire them to learn more, compare to the state 52.6%. 96.7% of the students stated that their teacher care, compare to the state 94.2%. 94.8% of the students also stated that they can ask their teachers if they have problems with their homework. 54.8% of the students also stated that their teachers explain concepts different ways until they get it, compared to the state 52.9%. [12]
The survey completed by students clearly indicates that teachers are making sure their lessons are engaging and they are inspiring their students to want to learn more, at least 61.1% of the 157 students that completed the survey feel this way. They are also helping their students understand the homework. The teachers at Citizens’ Memorial School are going beyond the call of duty in most areas (SALT report 2005, p.6). However, math teachers need to have higher expectations of their students, these students face unimaginable challenges, but they are capable of performing academically. Majority of the questions found in standardized tests required students to be able to answer higher level thinking questions, especially science questions. The percentage of teachers explaining concepts different ways should also be higher.
Table 3 - SurveyWorks: Student Survey 2011-2012
School-State Comparison Report: Teaching & Student Achievement
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Report Card:
Teaching
Ensuring that all students in public schools are taught by effective teachers is an educational and moral obligation. Are Citizens’ Memorial Elementary School teachers creating the conditions for the success of their students? According to the partners in the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project,” teachers want to succeed, but they typically lack the conditions for success. All teachers in general feel that they are on their own to adjust practice to better serve students. "What guidance they get often is plagued by vague teaching standards, overly numerous and often trivial learning objectives, and testing systems that measure only some of the outcomes that educators value for students. Success itself remains ill defined.” [13] In order for a school to be successful, the school needs to have teachers that are motivated, passionate about teaching, knowledgeable, driven; and do everything humanly possible to help their students reach their potential. In order to see if Citizens Memorial School teachers are creating conditions for the success of their students, and to see if the school administration and the district are making this possible, the SALT report and InfoWorks survey will be analyzed.
Information Reported By Schools
According to the InfoWorks Qualifications and Teacher-Student Ratio 2010-11 data, 5% of the 54 teachers at Citizens Memorial School are not highly qualified educators. The number of not highly qualified educators at this school is 4% higher than the state average, and 5% higher than the East Greenwich Elementary School, James H. E. Elementary School. The Teacher-Student ratio is 7 students per teacher, compared to the state average of eleven students per teacher, and compared to James H. E. Elementary school average of 10 students per teacher. [14] According to Stephanie Cheng’s research results, minority students benefit more than others from reduced class size; it causes higher academic achievement. [15]However, based on the fact that when the teacher-student ratio is calculated, non-teaching staff is also included. It cannot be concluded that the class size at Citizens' Memorial School is small compared to the state average.
SALT visit to Citizens’ Memorial Elementary School from September 28 to October 1, 1999 concluded that Citizen's Memorial Elementary School opens its doors daily to the challenge of working with a student population of many different abilities and language backgrounds. “There is much passion and desire for growth with many dedicated teachers striving to provide effective educational experiences for students. Some exemplary practices are evident throughout the school, but they are not practiced on a school-wide basis. High expectations and a clear focus and purpose of instruction are inherent in standards driven reform. In many classrooms low expectations for student performance and limited alignment of lessons to standards were evident; limited teaching strategies fail to meet the diverse learning needs of students. Successful strategies to implement school-based standards have been impeded by a lack of professional development that is consistent with the school’s goals for improvement. The absence of high standards in mathematics deprives students of necessary elements in reaching high achievement. Also, in general, the results of performance-based assessments do not provide constructive feedback to students or teachers about student learning on a regular basis.” The staff stated the obstacles that are in the way of the students’ performance include: limited materials, space, professional development and time to work together. Their efforts are further hindered by the limited support and direction provided by the district. There is not yet clear, school-wide understanding and implementation of standards in the areas of math problem solving which are instrumental in achieving high performance on state assessments. [16] This clearly is observed in the low math NECAP assessment scores.
Information Reported by Students
As seen in Table 4 , 158 students who were 4th and 5th grade students were asked if they felt as if their teachers cared about them. 96.7% of these students strongly agreed with this statement. Statewide, about 94.2% of students agreed with this statement. This indicates that the students feel that their teacher truly cares about them. 158 students were asked if they thought that their teachers like teaching. 97.4% of students strongly agreed with this statement as compared to the state average of 96.1% of students saying that they agreed with this statement. [17] The students responses presented here clearly reflect the passion of the teacher as it was observed by SALT. The majority of the students feel as if their teachers care about them and that their teachers actually enjoy teaching. This is also an indication of the quality and commitment of most of the teachers at Citizens Memorial.
155 students composed of 4th and 5th graders were asked if their teachers were willing to explain something different ways until they get it. About 54.8% students said that their teachers will always explain something to them in different ways until they get. The state average for the same question states that 52.9% of students feel the same way (see Table 6). I was hoping to see a higher percentage, but this indicates that some teachers are doing their best to make sure their students understand trivial concepts. When they were asked if they can talk to their teacher if they are having a problem with school work, 94.8% agreed that this statement reflect their teachers willingness to provide guidance, statewide, 93.9% agreed with this statement. When they were asked if their teachers make them want to learn more, 61.1% , of the 157 4th and 5th grades, agreed with the statement, compared to statewide of 52.6%. 155 students composed of 4th and 5th graders were asked if their teachers think they will go to college, 80% of the responded positively, compared to statewide average of 62.6%. These statistics lead one to believe that the teachers at Citizens Memorial School are encouraging their students to succeed not just now but they have faith in their students’ potential, and some teachers are dedicated to helping the students to understand the information. [17]
A number of students at Citizens Memorial Elementary School were asked a number of questions regarding how they feel about their teachers. The results are as follows:
Table 4 - SurveyWorks: Student Survey 2011-2012
School-State Comparison Report: Teaching & Student Achievement, and Safe & Supportive Schools
Family, Community, and Home Life
According to Charletta Suddoth’s Doctoral Theses Dissertation, parent involvement may have implications for student achievement.[18] Parents of minority students are frequently criticized for not being involved enough in their students' education. Parent involvement can be limited due to a lack of time, monetary resources, or transportation; past negative experiences with school; a non-welcoming school environment; or a different definition of parent involvement or different language. [18] Another longitudinal study conducted by Ann LeFeyre, examined the effects of school-based and home-based Latino parent involvement using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS:88). Both forms of support were significant predictors of student achievement; the impact of home-based support was nearly as great as that of school-based support. It was suggested that Latino students benefit from both methods of involvement, and type of parent involvement should be acknowledged and supported. [19] As indicated by research, students’ family, community and home life are all very important contributing factors to the student’s success. In this section of the report, InfoWorks survey completed by students and parents, and InfoWorks Families and Communities Data will be analyzed.
Information Reported By Schools
InfoWorks Families and Communities 2012-13 data indicates 93% of students attending Citizens Memorial School are eligible for subsidized lunch, the state average is 46% and James H. E. Elementary School in East Greenwich is 7%. 12% receive ESL/Bilingual Education Services as compared to the state average of only 6%, and compared to James H. E. Elementary School average of only 1%. This means that 12% of the students at Citizens Memorial School do not speak English as their first language. [20] This a huge obstacle that every immigrant child must overcome, it is not an easy challenge and not able to practice the adopted language at home can further complicate this goal. Added to this frustration, parents are not able to help even if they have the desire for the same reasons.
In 1999, SALT report stated, “There is rich diversity in the student population at Citizen’s Memorial Elementary School. This richness is not visibly celebrated or utilized effectively as a resource, ignoring the presence of almost half of the students in the school. The lack of representation and bilingual resources limits the school’s ability to assess student learning or achievement.“ In 2005, SALT reported, “English Language Learners receive instruction and support in a variety of settings, but not all of these provide adequate support for these learners. There are three levels of ELL students—beginner, intermediate and advanced. The beginner and intermediate students receive instruction in reading and writing from an ESL certified teacher in a “pullout setting.” Students in this setting learn well. They develop language fluency and understanding. They work in small groups using a variety of visual and auditory supports to develop proficient English language skills. There are high expectations for student achievement in this group. However, these students are lost when they return to the regular education classrooms. Not many classrooms provide them with sufficient support. Teachers recognize this problem and say they need help supporting ELL, as well as “Culturally and Linguistically Diverse,” students in their classrooms. They are just beginning to receive professional development and guidance during their weekly study group meetings to address the needs of these students.” [21] Students who are English language learners (ESL), and other children with insufficient language development usually get frequently confused, embarrassed and are hesitant to ask questions. Sadly, these students are sometimes forgotten. Clearly, the school made some improvement but there is room for improvement.
On the other hand, very few parents are actively involved at Citizens’ Memorial Elementary School. The 2005 Salt Survey states that “only 10% of the parents attend PTO meetings and only 38% attend special events involving their children. This statistic cannot be compared to the parent involvement at the East Greenwich Elementary school because the 1999 SALTreport only concludes that parents have high expectations (Eldredge SALT report, 1999, p.8). Ongoing school and district efforts provide numerous activities in which parents can participate. The monthly Coffee Hours offer opportunities for parents to meet with the principal and voice their concerns, but parent attendance is low. The TIME teacher organizes parent workshops, surveys parent needs and notifies parents about activities in both Spanish and English, but parent participation is minimal. While this has been a problem for a number of years, teachers and parents report there has been a slight increase in parent participation. Parents report a desire to hold parent workshops at Citizens’, rather than at other schools in the district. The school and the district recognize these problems and continue to explore ways to increase parent outreach.”
The schools recognized the need of their students and there are trying to meet their needs. There is very little parent involvement, the factors could be many. Both parents and school administrators and teachers need to work together to make sure all of the students are successful.
Information Reported by Students
100 % reported that their parents want them to get good grades. This statistic shows that great majority of the students indicated that their parents want and encourage them to succeed. 96.8 % of those students reported that their parents want to know what they are doing in school, compared to the statewide 94.8 %. This number also shows that a large portion of the students have a supportive learning environment. These numbers show that a majority of the parents are staying active in their child's school lives at least their involvement seems to be more home-based. The SALT report indicated only 10% of the parents attend school event. As seen in table 7, 102 parents responded to InfoWorks survey, when asked if the main office staff members are friendly and helpful, only 40.8% agree, statewide 47.9% agree. When asked if they feel welcome at this school, 48.0% of 102 indicated that they strongly agree, statewide percentage is 49.8%. As I indicated earlier, as much as these parents would like to become more involve a number of factors impede these efforts, such as lack of time, monetary resources, transportation, don’t feel welcome at the school and language barrier. Based on the students’ response, the following can be inferred that, at home, the students are being encouraged to have school as their number one priority. [22]
A number of parents were asked a number of questions regarding how they feel about Citizen's Memorial School. The results are as follows:
Table 5 - SurveyWorks: Parent Survey 2011-2012
School-State Comparison Report: Families and Communities
Safe and Supportive Schools
Schools are places of learning. The climate of a school has a direct impact on both how well students learn and how well they interact with their teachers and peers. Feeling safe and valued are fundamental human needs, without which learning becomes secondary and suffers. Especially in the last two decades, research indicates that when school-related relationships do not feel supportive, students become alienated from learning and perform poorly. Alienated students are higher risk to drop out of school. Also, all students need to feel cared for, safe and nourished to achieve to their highest capability. They cannot learn if they're absent, suspended, their families change their residences, or worry about something. According to Infoworks, safe and supportive schools definition, administrators and teachers promote student learning and well-being in school by establishing a supportive classroom structure. The term "classroom structure" refers to how teachers design tasks, and maintain authority. [23] In this section of the report, attendance record, the personal safety in and around the school, types of bullying, kind of support from teachers, frequency of fights at school, school rules, and mobility will be analyzed.
Information Reported By Schools
Chronic absenteeism means missing 10% of a school year. Attendance rates can deeply affect a student’s grades. If a student is chronically absent, their grades will reflect that. Citizens Memorial has a 93% attendance rate and 27% of the students are chronically absent. Almost the same attendance statistic is observed at Kevin K. Coleman Elementary School, located in Woonsocket, 93% attendance and 28% of the students are chronically absent. The state attendance rate is 95%, and 17% of students are chronically absent.Now if Citizens Memorial is compared to James H. E. Elementary School in East Greenwich, 97% attendance rate and only 2% of the students are chronically absent. These numbers show that the students are capable of getting to school on a fairly regular basis. The stability and mobility indices describe the level of students flow through a school, which can lead to academic disruptions. The mobility index at Citizens Memorial School is 27%, Kevin K. Coleman Elementary School is equally high, 24%, and the state’s average is 14%. The mobility index at James H. E. Elementary School is a low 4%. During the 2011-2012 academic year, there were 22 reported suspension at Citizens Memorial School, Kevin K. Coleman Elementary School reported an alarming 83 suspensions and James H. E. Elementary School reported only 4 suspensions. [24]
Research indicates that achievement, especially math, is very sensitive to attendance, and chronic absenteeism in one school year matters (Balfanz et al., 2006). Balfanz and Byrnes (2012) research findings indicate that attendance strongly affects standardized test scores, graduation and dropout rates. As seen in chart 1 and chart 2, Citizens' Memorial School 4th grade NECAP scores, especially NECAP math scores, are much lower than James H. E. Elementary School 4th grade NECAP scores. Chronic absenteeism is more frequently observed among low-income students; the amount of school days they are missing is staggering, and this can greatly impact the school success (Balfanz and Byrnes, 2012).
Another research has shown that students who live in high-poverty communities benefit the most from going to school; it provides logical sense that these same students might be negatively affected by absenteeism (Ready, 2010).
Daily attendance is crucial for academic success for any student, but especially for students that live in low-income communities.
Information Reported by Students
A number of students at Citizens Memorial Elementary School were asked a number of questions regarding how safe they feel in their school. The results are as follows:
Table 6 - SurveyWorks: Student Survey 2011-2012
School-State Comparison Report: Safe & Supportive Schools
The above data, table 6, indicates that 86.5% agree to feel safe on the way to school. Statewide, 91.5% agreed to feel safe on the way to school. 91.0% of students at Citizens Memorial School agreed that they feel safe in the hallways of the school. This number is significantly higher than the state average of 90.9 % of students who said that they feel safe in the hallways of their schools. 81.4% of the students of Citizens Memorial School agreed that they feel safe outside of the school. This number is slightly less than the state average of 85.4% of students who said they feel safe walking outside of school.
Clearly, the table 7 indicates that the school has much more crime compared to state.
Table 7 - SurveyWorks: Student Survey 2011-2012
School-State Comparison Report: Safe & Supportive Schools
There is also a high percentage of students who admitted to being physical, 27.6%. As seen in Table 7, 22.4% of the students admitted to have seen another student with knife, 94.1% of the time, and with gun, 11.8% of the time. While 24.5% of students admit they have been robbed while at school is in a 81.5 % of students of the 4th and 5th graded that participated in the survey believed that rules at their school is fair, compared to statewide, 81.1% of the students agree with their schools rules.
A number of students at Citizens Memorial Elementary School were asked a number of questions regarding bullying. The results are as follows:
Table 8 - SurveyWorks: Student Survey 2011-2012
School-State Comparison Report: Safe & Supportive Schools
As seen in table 8, 55.8% of the students stated that they have been the victims of at least one form of bullying while at school, which is slightly higher to the statewide percentage of 51.1. According to the data above, 75.9% of the students are reporting these incidents to a parent or a teacher. The statewide data indicates that fewer students are reporting the bullying incidents, 73.7%. When they were asked if the bullying stop after they told an adult, 64.5% agreed that the bullying did stop. On a positive note, 91.7% of the students revealed that they feel comfortable talking to their teachers about problems they are having with another student, the statewide report indicates that 92.8% of the students feel the same way. 75.3% of the students feel comfortable talking to about issues at their home life, which is lower than what was reported statewide, 70.3%. Bullying is a problem in this school. In order for the school to be more successful, administrators, teachers, and parents need to work together to eradicate bullying so that students well-being (emotionally and physically) and school work may not be affected by bullying. The good news is that the students know that they can to go to their teachers for support. School administrators should look at this data carefully and see why the bullying did not stop. They need to implement other practices to put a stop to bullying.
In 2005, SALT reported that a fair, consistent discipline policy outlines the expectations for student behavior. “Discipline is administered swiftly and justly.” Clearly the staff feels supported by the principal and they know that the principal will follow through. Numerous safety issues at the school have been addressed. Students and parents know that Citizens’ is a safe place where everyone can learn.
Funding and Resources
Available Funds and resources to students and teachers, is another import factor in determining the success of the school. Another important factor is the family's income. The majority of a public school’s funding comes from local taxes. Additional data is provided for the district in the Woonsocket District Profile. Woonsocket District
Information Reported By Schools
The district median family income in the year 2009 was $ 38,353 dollars. According to the InfoWorks, Citizens’ Memorial spends $12,362 dollars per student. The average family income suggests that the surrounding neighborhood is low-income housing. [26] According to the 2005 SALT survey report, Citizens’ is located in an area that has one of the highest child neglect and abuse rates in the state. Parents may not be able to live comfortably and be able to support their child's education; this is probably one stress factor that probably contributes to neglect and abuse. However, the school spends over $12,362 dollars on each student. This shows that the school is providing the adequate funding for their students. SALT also reported that in 2005, many programs were in place to address the diverse needs of students. For example, The Institute for Non-Violence conducts student workshops every Tuesday and Thursday. The T.I.M.E. (Teacher In Multiple Environments) teacher facilitates a before-school program for at-risk students and maintains a parent information corner. In addition, Citizens’ Memorial has created partnerships with InstaCare, CVS and Walmart to bring additional money and materials into the school. [27]
Information Reported by Students
The following student survey regards the resources afforded to the students at Citizens Memorial School. It is noted that some resource deficiencies are present, especially in the use of technology.
Table 9 - SurveyWorks: Student Survey 2011-2012
School-State Comparison Report: Funding and Resources
Citizens’ Memorial School teachers also completed InfoWorks survey. Table 10 shows their response to the questions they were asked. The questions asked to the teachers are regarding the resources afforded to the teachers and students at Citizens’ Memorial School. According to the below statistics, only 54.5 % agreed to having enough space for effective instruction, an alarming 80% of the teachers agreed that their students in their classes need to share books and 50% of the teachers agreed to have access to up-to-date instructional materials through the school or district.
Table 10 - SurveyWorks: Teacher Survey 2011-2012
School-State Comparison Report: Funding and Resources
The following table, 11, is the results of the survey completed by the parents of students attending Citizens’ Memorial School regarding the resources afforded to the parents and students at Citizens’ Memorial School.
Table 11 - SurveyWorks: Parent Survey 2011-2012
School-State Comparison Report: Funding and Resources
As seen in table 11, 83% of the parents agreed that the school has enough classroom supplies, and 86% said that the school has enough computers. According the 2005 SALT survey report, the school implemented many programs in order to address the diverse needs of the students. According to the above survey completed by the parents of students that attend this school, only 14.7% of them are not aware of any of the programs provided. Only12.6% of the parents know that there is a mentoring program; 21.1% of the parents know that there is a homework club and 15.8 % of them are aware of tutoring programs. It seems that the school needs to improve in the way they communicate with the parents; some are missing very importing information. [28 ]
Changes over the Past Ten Years
In 2005, SALT report stated that Citizens’ Memorial Elementary School is a school that is on the move. Throughout the years, Citizens’ has restructured its grade levels many times. It opened in 1958 for students in kindergarten through grade six. In 2001, Citizens’ became a school for students in grades three through five. In 2003, grade two was added. But in the school year of 2012-13, grade 2 was dropped. The building also changed through the years. The computer lab was updated in the spring of 1999 with 25 new Imacs. Internet capabilities were installed school wide. In 2000, a ten-room addition was constructed on the building. The school has moved to block scheduling in reading/language arts. Since Citizens’ had a number of different administrators through the years, most teachers at Citizens’ Elementary perceived that the school has been struggling with no direction or common vision. There have been some changes noticed at Citizens Memorial Elementary School over the past decade.
The following data, provided by InfoWorks, can be used to compare the academic progress at Citizens Memorial Elementary School over the past ten years. (see table 12)
Table 12 - Citizents' Memorial School Performance: 2002-03
The Chart 3 indicates the characteristics of the students attending this school and their academic achievement from 2000 to 2002:
Chart 3 - Student Characteristics and Academic Achievement from 2000 to 2002
As seen in Chart 3, for the year 2001-2002 and the previous year, this school was labeled as Low Performing; 33% or more of the school population was not proficient. In 1999 the SALT visiting team, gave the staff the following recommendations: "Obtain the professional development needed to implement standards-based curriculum, to develop differentiated instructional strategies and to develop performance-based assessments tied to standards. Demonstrate your commitment that each and every student can reach high standards. Implement standards-based benchmarks for student performance in Language Arts (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and Mathematics (skills, concepts and problem solving). Place a high priority on implementing the district mathematics curriculum. Analysis of data to determine student needs." Few years later of these recommendations, the school still lacks appropriate mathematics standards-based benchmarks. The low performance scores in math clearly indicates the lack of resources provided to the teachers.
Chart 4 - 2007-2008 School Academic Performance
The data shown in Chart 4, indicates that during 2007-2008 school year the school was still under-performing in both Math and Language arts compared to state.
Table 13 - According to Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Report Card: School Classification from 2011 to 2013
Based on the above statistic, a lot of things have change over the years, such as number of principals, but the low performing scores have remained stagnant. Students are still struggling, mostly in math and science. In 2005, SALT visiting team also provided the school with their recommendations. These are some of their recommendations: “Develop a coherent understanding and implementation of the workshop model for reading, writing and math. Hold all students accountable to the same high expectations. Increase differentiated instruction in reading, writing and math. Continue professional development in these areas. Develop questioning techniques and instructional practices to promote critical thinking skills. Encourage students to explore math concepts, and provide adequate time for them to do that. Increase opportunities for them to share and justify their solutions.” These recommendations were specifically chosen, to show that may be these are one of the factors affecting the students’ math, science, reading and writing NECAP scores. One can conclude that the school is not making an effort to implement the recommendations made by the SALT report or if they are, they are not sufficient enough to overcome the obstacles the students face or that their effort has not yet come to fruition.
Conclusion
Based on the above information, one can conclude whether or not Citizens Memorial Elementary School is a school that is moving in the right direction, and they are meeting the NCLB act. Citizens Memorial Elementary School is striving to overcome its deficiencies; it is located in an area that is poverty-stricken and has to deal with a constantly fluctuating student population. It is evident this school tries to provide for its students by accommodating for language barriers, hosting after school programs, having a common planning period, and emphasizing pride in cultural diversity. They are providing adequate funding for the students. However, the school is not providing a diverse learning environment, teachers need to challenge their students they need to develop questioning techniques and instructional practices to promote critical thinking skills and reduce teacher-centered lessons, and increase opportunities for active student learning and promote independent thinking. (2005 SALT report) AYP standards despite being below average, teachers showed to be supportive educators, and encourage their students’ success. The school needs to increase support for ELL students in regular education classrooms, and provide professional development in how to support ELL students within the regular education classrooms. Teachers need to believe that every student can achieve, they need to have high expectations for all of their students and hold them accountable. The school is still failing to provide help to minority students. Administrators, but especially district administrators need to make sure that all teachers develop expertise in the new and more effective instructional methods and programs. (2005 Salt Report) They need to be provided with all the updated resources. Despite the many obstacles that teachers and students face each day, the school seems to be trying to improve and become a more successful school.
References:
1. Citizens’ Memorial Elementary School District, 2013. Citizens’ Memorial Elementary. Retrieved from
http://www.woonsocketschools.com/schools/schoolsites/citizens/Templates/main%20pages/aboutus.html
2. Wilson,T (2005). Citizens’ Memorial Elementary: The SALT Visit Team Report. Retrieved from page 4
http://www.eride.ri.gov/dataDump/39/2004-05/20050426132557/Citizens%20Memorial%20School%20Final%20Report.pdf
3. Wilson, T. (1999). Citizens’ Memorial Elementary: The SALT Visit Team Report. Retrieved from
http://www.eride.ri.gov/dataDump/00/2006-07/SaltRpts/199909_39_Citizen_Memorial_Elementary.pdf
4. RIDE (2012). Student Characteristics. Retrieved from
http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/search/data?category=student-characteristics&q=school%2Fcitizens-memorial-school&year=2012
5. Wilson,T (2005). Citizens’ Memorial Elementary: The SALT Visit Team Report. Retrieved from page 6
http://www.eride.ri.gov/dataDump/39/2004-05/20050426132557/Citizens%20Memorial%20School%20Final%20Report.pdf
6. RIDE (2012). SurveryWorks! Citizen’s Memorial Elementary School. Retrieved from page 5-6.
http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/files/surveyworks/2011-2012/students/surveyworks-2010-2012-citizens-memorial-elementary-school-students-es.pdf
7. Google Maps ( 2013). Citizens’ Memorial Elementary. Retrieved from http://maps.google.com/
8. Medina, Monty. (2000). Fallout from the Testing Explosion: How 100 Million Standardized Exams Undermine Equity and Excellence in America's Public Schools. Third edition. ERIC
9. RIDE (2013). Helpful Definitions and Background. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/student-achievement/definitions-and-background
10. RIDE (2013). Student Achievement. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/citizens-memorial-elementary-school
11. RIDE (2011). AYP Status and Classification. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/search/data?category=ayp&q=school%2Fcitizens-memorial-school&year=2010
12. RIDE (2011). SurveryWorks! Citizens’ Memorial Elementary School. Retrieved from page 7.
http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/files/surveyworks/2010-2011/students/surveyworks-2010-2011-citizens-memorial-elementary-school-students-es.pdf
13. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.metproject.org/downloads/MET_Feedbackforbetterteaching_Principles
14. RIDE (2011). Teaching. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/citizens-memorial-elementary-school
15. Cheng, S. (2012). "That's it for Today": Academic lecture closings and the impact of class size. ERIC, 31(4), pp. 234-248. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2012.05.004
16. Wilson,T (2005). Citizens’ Memorial Elementary: The SALT Visit Team Report. Retrieved from page 10
http://www.eride.ri.gov/dataDump/39/2004-05/20050426132557/Citizens%20Memorial%20School%20Final%20Report.pdf
17. RIDE (2012). SurveryWorks! Citizen’s Memorial Elementary School. Retrieved from page 14-15.
http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/files/surveyworks/2011-2012/students/surveyworks-2010-2012-citizens-memorial-elementary-school-students-es.pdf
18. Sudduth, C. D. (n.d.). Our voices: Parental involvement in an urban elementary school. ERIC-Education Resources Information Center, Retrieved from
http://www.eric.ed.gov
19. LeFevre, A. L. (2012). Latino parent involvement and school success. Education and Urban Society, 44(6), pp. 707-723.
20. RIDE (2012). Families and Communities. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/citizens-memorial-elementary-school
21. Wilson,T (2005). Citizens’ Memorial Elementary: The SALT Visit Team Report. Retrieved from
http://www.eride.ri.gov/dataDump/39/2004-05/20050426132557/Citizens%20Memorial%20School%20Final%20Report.pdf
22. RIDE (2012. Parent/Guardian Interest in Child's School. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/files/surveyworks/2009-2010/students/surveyworks-2009-2010-citizens-memorial-elementary-school-students-es.pdf
23. RIDE (2013). Infoworks Data Reporting Safe and Supportive Schools. Helpful Definitions and Background. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/safe-supportive-schools/definitions-and-background
24. RIDE (2011). Safe and supportive schools. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/citizens-memorial-elementary-school
25. RIDE (2012). Personal Safety in and Around School. Retrieved from page 11,12,13 and 14. http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/files/surveyworks/2011-2012/students/surveyworks-2011-2012-citizens-memorial-elementary-school-students-es.pdf
26. RIDE (2009). Funding and Resources. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/citizens-memorial-elementary-school
27. Wilson,T (2005). Citizens’ Memorial Elementary: The SALT Visit Team Report. Retrieved from page 7.
http://www.eride.ri.gov/dataDump/39/2004-05/20050426132557/Citizens%20Memorial%20School%20Final%20Report.pdf
28. RIDE (2012). SurveryWorks! Citizen’s Memorial Elementary School. Retrieved from page 31
http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/files/surveyworks/2011-2012/students/surveyworks-2010-2012-citizens-memorial-elementary-school-students-es.pdf
29. Balfanz, R., & Byrnes, V. (2006). Closing the Mathematics Achievement Gaps in High Poverty Middle Schools: Enablers and Constrains. Journal for Educating Students Placed at Risk, 11(2), pp. 143-157.
30. Balfanz, R., & Byrners, V. (2012). Chronic Absenteeism: Summarizing What We Know From Nationally Available Data. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Center for Social Organization of Schools.
31. Ready, D. (2010). Socioeconomic disadvantage, school attendance, and early cognitive development: The differentiatial effects of school exposure. Sociology of Education, 83(4), pp. 271-286.